Ryan Blythe's incredible glasswork consists of elaborate compositions that combine traditional glassblowing techniques with sculptural glass elements. He creates elegant vessels, bowls and sculptures. But among his most impressive works are his large-scale sculptural installations. His intriguing style is a hybrid of techniques he learned from his masters in Italy and the Pacific Northwest, which have spawned Blythe's wild and alluring glass formations.
His "larger than life" glass installations begin with a full-scale prototype as it will appear in the finished design. When the prototype has reached its desired outcome, it's time to recreate it. The installation consists of several individual pieces that are both blown and sculpted. With the assistance of his team, Blythe first gathers molten glass on the end of the puny rod. It is blown, heated in a 1000-pound furnace, blown some more, reheated, blown again, and hand-shaped with wet newspaper and glass sculpting tools until it has reached its finished state. He breaks the piece off of the rod and grinds and polishes it in his cold shop. The cold shop contains diamond wheels that spin under running water, which cools the glass and removes any debris. The pieces are also annealed in an annealing oven. More glass elements are created exactly the same way. This process continues until every piece of his installation is finished and ready to be assembled. A bit of metal work is involved to fabricate pieces to support the hanging works. Finally, Blythe makes a complete mock up in studio and hangs it. When the sculpture is to be moved, it must be dismantled and put together on site. Blythe's stunning glass sculptures are an awe-inspiring example of rhythm and poetry in glass.
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